BRIDGEPORT -- The annual Puerto Rican Parade of Fairfield County isn't quite like it used to be, mused Carmen Perez, as she and her family waited for the event to start.

Perez was camped out late Sunday morning with her daughter-in-law, her grandchildren, her son and assorted friends and neighbors at the corner of Park Avenue and Lewis Street, where the parade would pass on the way from its starting point at Central High. She said she has been going to the parade for much of her life, and she has seen it get progressively more low-key over the years, with fewer floats and people.

"In past years, there was more," she said.

Still, Perez said, she seldom misses an opportunity to come out each year and show support for her heritage.

"It's just fun to show our spirit about where we came from -- or where our parents came from," said Perez, who was born and raised in Bridgeport.

She was among the throng lined up along the parade route, which stretched down Park Avenue down to Seaside Park, where the revelers would later gather for a festival that Perez said always is her favorite part of the day.

"You go the park and there's all kinds of food and everyone has a good time," she said. "It's not just Puerto Ricans who show up there. It's everyone."

Perez was among the few along the parade route not dressed in the red, white and blue of the Puerto Rican flag. But her grandsons, 4-month-old Joshua and 4-year-old Jeremiah, were decked out in those colors.

Jeremiah was ready to party a little early. Long before the parade reached him, he was earnestly blowing into a one of the many plastic horns sold by vendors along the route.

Once the parade got going, the spectators clapped and cheered for police cars draped in the Puerto Rican flag, colorful floats blaring festive music, and even a group of horses that danced down the street, skillfully manipulated by their riders.

Those walking in the parade included a variety of politicians, such at Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman and Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, who during his walk reached into the crowd to give a high-five to city resident Nanette Figueroa, 42.

Figueroa was thrilled by the gesture, and said she, like Perez, has attended the parade for most of her life.

"It's the closest thing to our roots that we can see every year," she said.

Figueroa agreed with Perez that the parade has changed over time.

"The crowd was bigger" in the past, she said. "It used to be more packed in here. But I know some people have moved."

Still, Figueroa said, she loves the enthusiastic atmosphere.

"It's changed some," she said, "but the spirit remains the same."

Others cheering on the festivities included Lucy Ramos, 21, of Bridgeport, who said she has been going to the parade since 2006. Her reasons for attending every year are simple.

"I'm Puerto Rican," she said. "I like to show off that I'm Puerto Rican."